Music Marketing management and cultural orientation
The changing nature of the music industry has presented a new challenge to the new artists and their bands: breaking into the limelight and making their music known in the industry dominated by major labels. The popular culture seems to work for the major labels even though it’s yet to be proved if it can work for the independent labels.
Rationale
Case made for the Research
Music environment has changed drastically where today’s many artists and bands rush to present their new demo tracks to the recording companies with high hope of making a kill out of their creative works, but this effort is not reflective of the sales return as only a handful of these bands and their artists end up successful. These disappointments have led to the rise of many independent labels trying to penetrate the market with their music records with no attachments to the mainstream recording companies. However, the same story of failure has faced several independent labels, with no apparent explanation for the source of the failure. Despite this background failure to many independent labels, some have thrived beyond other people’s expectations.
Management Issues
What actually differentiates the successful organizations from the failed ones? Pose this question to any person and the most immediate and quickest answer you’ll ever get is most likely related to the management or more pointedly, ‘it’s the manager’s ability!’ why is this notion rampant? In fact, it is not a strange rejoinder to connect the success or failure of an organization to what the manager did or failed to do.
Statement of research question
Popular culture presents a theoretical link that determines not only the ability to produce and consume but also the endless effort and possibility of success in promoting and marketing an indie label.
Aim and objectives
The aim of this project is to establish the link between popular culture to the marketing and promotion of an indie record label, Elusive Records.
The following are the objectives of the research:
- To learn how to formulate and implement management and marketing plans for the successful marketing and promotion of the band
- To establish specific steps that Elusive records should take in order to make successful penetration into the market
- To establish a ground for cultural brand building in the label company
Preliminary literature review
In fact the cases of successful independent labels are numerous. Recently, Arctic Monkeys (Domino) is ruling the billboard chart with their Favourite Worst Nightmare album, their second since they started off (Salmon, 2007). Salmon mentions many other independent labels such as Block Party (Wichita), Kaiser Chiefs (B unique), Maximo Park, etc (Salmon, 2007). In fact these groups have discovered their secret to success and have tried to build this culture of success by making their indie labels identical with the nurturing of the talents in a long term basis. In fact, these artists have made it unique considering what Salmon (2007) states “their being artists, songwriter, and record label are all rolled into one.” Of course the success or failures of others can have the possibility of defining the future of the upcoming labels, if they will follow the failure path or the success path. How the popular culture can determine the success of an indie label, and more specifically my label of choice, Elusive label is the main concern. In fact, it’s a common knowledge that popular cultures influences what is to be produced and consumed. However, no literature at least to the best of my knowledge that will explain how culture presents the platform for struggle and possibility of success for an indie label. That is like to ask whether there is connection between popular culture and the success of such indie labels such as Arctic Monkey. If yes, is there a possibility of Elusive Records taking this advantage to promote their Elusive brand?
In this perspective, it important to note the increased use of technology in the music industry has presented a new form of challenge as well as befits to the music industry. According to Schermerhorn (1996, cited in Flint, 2002) technology is the combination of knowledge, equipment and work methods used to transform resources inputs into organizational outputs. It is possible to argue that there is no sector that has been transformed in the last decade like music, thanks to the digital technology. In fact the success of this proposal solely relies on the management of Elusive records as they are the ones who will authorize the approval of the research project. These important decisions are subject to careful analysis of the budgeting criteria. At the same time, the culture of contract management between the artists and the indie label company. It is therefore worth noting that the control of the network relations, integrated cost management systems and talent management pursuits (Flint, 2002).
It will be of much importance if the project leads us to a structured process of drawing and implementing appropriate business and marketing plan for the success of Elusive, considering its current size. In fact, it is my passion in music combined with the intellectual knowledge of contemporary management issues related to popular culture and music that will be used to conduct this research to achieve the noble task of building a stronger band of Elusive Records. In deed it is my wish that this project proceeds to realize my dream- to see Elusive records hold an important position in the music industry with continuous culture of success and prosperity.
It is on this basis that my proposal will pursue the needed knowledge by the Elusive label band managers to help them incorporate any form of cultural possibility and as well as barriers in their plan to promote the band. This will imply that theory of management and marketing will be paramount as learned from my course to ensure we as a team behind Elusive Record reach the desired goal.
Eliashberg, et al. (2007) says that the success or failure of a new venture is directly linked to the management’s ability or inability to instill the necessary culture since they are in full control of the resources necessary to do this.
Traditionally, a record label is responsible for the sale of music products, either in the form of hard copies in the form of CDs and DVDs or in digital form where they can approach the process through internet music downloads (Flint, 2002). In this form of cultural distribution, the record company has the legal authority to collect all the revenue generated from the music sale, where they subsequently use the income to pay the artist, song writers, and sales agents and make the profit from all these deductions (Flint, 2002).
The other source of revenue normally comes from royalties and record playing, with radio and televisions stations leading the pact. In most cases, the radio stations analyze the contents of the music to ensure that it goes in line with their culture (Chatman, 1978). Chatman (1978) says that the content analysis will determine whether your music will be played in a particular radio or not. Davis (2007) says that analysis of content is a recognized qualitative technique, which historians have applied in their analysis as well as study of literature recorded including films and television programs.
The technological usage in the marketing is said to have changed the structure of marketing against big labels, hence giving the new record indie records a reprieve in the music industry. However, it is argued that not all is bed of roses for the independent labels as it has presented a new form of challenge as well. Schermerhorn (1996, cited in Flint, 2002) states, technology is the combination of knowledge, equipment and work methods used to transform resources inputs into organizational outputs. It is possible to argue that there is no sector that has been transformed in the last decade like music, thanks to the digital technology. These important decisions are subject to careful analysis of the budgeting criteria. At the same time, the culture of contract management between the artists and the indie label company. It is therefore worth noting that the control of the network relations, integrated cost management systems and talent management pursuits (Flint, 2002).
New bands efforts to rush to present their new demo tracks to the recording companies with high hope of making a kill out of their creative works is attributed to the culture of quick success that some musicians or record companies have got (Flint, 2002). However, this effort has proved counterproductive as many artists do not manage to contain the hype that was characteristics of their first release (Salmon, 2007). This could explain why this kind of failure was rampant. Historically and as expected, these disappointments created the many independent labels, which have tried to penetrate the market with their music records with no attachments to the mainstream recording companies. Despite this background failure to many independent labels, some have thrived in the seemingly impenetrable market, creating cultural success.
Salmon (2007) says the possibility of defining the future of the upcoming labels is dependent on the failure path or the success path the present independent. How the popular culture can determine the success of an indie label, and more specifically my label of choice in subject to discussion. Popular cultures influence what is to be produced and consumed (Chatman, 1978). However, how culture presents the platform for struggle and possibility of success for an indie label is very critical for the success of Elusive. The performance indictor is the ability to present an integrated approach to marketing (Eliashberg, 2007).
Reference List
Chatman, S. (1978) Story and Discourse: Narrative Structure in Fiction and Film. New York, Cornell University Press.
Davis, M.B. (2007) Doing a Successful Research Project. Hampshire, Palgrave Macmillian.
Eliashberg, J., Hui, S.K & Zhang J (2007) From Storyline to Box Office: A New Approach for Green-Lighting Movie Scripts. Management Science, 53 (6), 881-894.
Flint, T. (2002) On the Road: Running your own record label.
Salmon, R. (2007) Starting your own record Label: Mraketing your music in a digital world.